Industrialized Building (IB)

Program Contacts

Eric Leatherby
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The Board of Housing and Community Development at the Department of Housing and Community Development promulgates regulations for industrialized buildings (IB), often referred to as modular buildings, through the Industrialized Building Safety Regulations (IBSR). The IBSR provides for the administration and enforcement of uniform statewide standards and includes the model codes and standards the IBs must meet. IBs are built in a factory and may contain concealed components, such as structural systems, wiring, plumbing and mechanical ductwork to mention a few. The State Building Codes Office (SBCO) is the building official for IBs. The SBCO accredits third-party Compliance Assurance Agencies (CAA) to review designs, inspect construction and certify the buildings through the application of a Virginia Registration Seal. The performance of the CAA is monitored by DHCD. Local code officials handle the permits, site inspections and issuance of the certificate of occupancy for the installation and related site work for the IBs under the authority granted to them by the Virginia Construction Code. The local code officials must accept the registered IB without requiring disassembly of the components that were inspected and concealed at the factory.

Eligibility

An industrialized building must meet the following requirements in order to be registered for the Virginia registration seal:

The Compliance Assurance Agency (CAA) has reviewed and approved the design/plans and has conducted the necessary testing and evaluation of the building and/or components.

The CAA has provided inspections and quality assurance services in the factory to assure compliance with the applicable building codes.

The Virginia registration seal has been applied to the building.

There are two separate and distinct registration seals, one for structures complying with the Virginia Construction Code (VCC) and the other for structures complying with the Virginia Residential Code (VRC). All structures require one seal for each manufactured section or module. The cost of a VCC seal is $75, and the cost of a VRC seal is $50.